5 Maryland players to watch against Bowling Green

Sep 5, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins William Likely (4) reaches for the end zone after returning a punt against the Richmond Spiders at Byrd Stadium. The play was call back due to a penalty. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Will Likely

Could the 2015 season got off to any better of a start for cornerback Will Likely? Likely racked up 233 punt return yards against Richmond, which set a new Big Ten record. He also returned a punt back 67 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Maryland’s star return man was able to find the running lanes no matter where he fielded the ball. He also returned two kickoffs for 63 yards, including returning the opening kickoff 42 yards to set the Terps up at their own 46-yard line.

As impressive as Likely was in the return game, he was equally productive on defense. Likely defended two passes and provided blanket coverage of Richmond’s Brian Brown. After Brown was able to get behind the secondary and catch a 52-yard pass in the first quarter, he didn’t produce very much for the Spiders. Likely provides some of the best pass coverage around, despite his size. Maryland’s secondary certainly buckled down as the game went on and could be the biggest strength of the entire team. Johnson is certainly going to test the Terps throughout Saturday’s game, so Likely will be one to watch once again.